
Should India-Pakistan conflict spark concern of nuclear escalation?
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Ken MacDonald of the Centre for Diaspora & Transnational Studies says the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan is 'alarming' after the recent bombing.
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National Post
15 hours ago
- National Post
Families of Air India bombing victims find peace and presence at Irish memorial
Article content A larger than usual crowd is expected Monday, June 23 to mark the 40th anniversary of the bombing. Dozens of relatives have travelled from Canada. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree will be here, as will Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin and representatives of the Indian government. Several RCMP officers from B.C. are also here to participate. Article content The Mounties and several relatives gathered informally at the memorial Saturday as rain threatened overhead. Article content Saroj Gaur hugged Padmini, who she calls 'auntie' because of the support Gaur was offered by the Turlapatis when her father Om Prakash Sharma died in the bombing. Article content Sharma had immigrated from India to work as a high school teacher in Newfoundland and support his large family. Article content Article content Gaur, who now lives in Toronto, said her dad wanted her to travel with him to India for the summer break. But she was 23, had just finished her studies and wanted to look for work. She was job-hunting in Toronto when she got the news about the flight from a family friend. Article content Article content 'We were living in Canada, paying our taxes. My father was teaching Canadian children, and it hurts when he wasn't recognized. You know that it's a Canadian tragedy,' Gaur said with tears in her eyes. Article content Article content She also finds comfort here, near to her father, whose body wasn't recovered. Article content 'This is my third trip. When we were driving down here, I felt something very touching. I felt like I'm coming to my own place,' she said. 'I was feeling so joyous. I felt like I belong here.' Article content She is also grateful to the Irish for their support over four decades. Article content 'The Irish people made this beautiful monument here. It doesn't matter how many times you come here, how many times you've seen it, you still want to come back. This is the place where they lost their life and you can't forget it.' Article content Sanjay Lazar, who lives in Pune, India, was just 17 when he lost his father Sampath, stepmother Sylvia and toddler sister Sandeeta to the bomb planted by B.C. terrorists. Article content It is here that Lazar feels closest to his family. Article content For many years after he was orphaned, Lazar ran away from his pain. Four years ago, that all changed here at the memorial when he felt for the first time that his family was sending him a message. Article content


Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
What is the Lawrence Bishnoi gang? And why do Canadian politicians want them labelled terrorists?
An India-based criminal organization is drawing increasing political scrutiny in Canada, with some saying it needs to be declared a terrorist organization. This week, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called on Ottawa to declare the Lawrence Bishnoi gang a terrorist organization, joining a chorus of other voices.


National Post
2 days ago
- National Post
Opinion: Canada has put up with Khalistani terrorists for long enough
By Ujjal Dosanjh and Joe Adam George Monday, June 23, marks the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 — the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history, and the most lethal act of aviation terrorism in the world prior to 9/11. The bombing left 329 people dead, including 268 Canadians. The investigation into the attack is still ' active and ongoing,' and is considered 'one of the most complex domestic terrorism investigations' undertaken by the RCMP. Article content Despite two separate inquiries finding that Khalistani terrorists in Canada had masterminded the attack, the perpetrators managed to walk away largely unscathed, much to the despair of the victims' families and the frustration of India. To this day, they are venerated as heroes by their fellow extremist ideologues. Article content Article content The Khalistanis form part of a Sikh extremist separatist movement that aims to establish an independent state of Khalistan carved out of India. Although it continues to rally a small but outspoken minority of Sikhs, the movement holds virtually no appeal among Sikhs in India or the majority of Canada's Sikh community. Article content The U.K. government-commissioned Bloom Review, which was released in 2023, revealed that Khalistani activists had exploited government ignorance, threatened and intimidated Sikhs, indoctrinated and recruited young people and solicited funds from Sikh temples to advance their agenda. Article content The review warned the British government that, 'The subversive, aggressive and sectarian actions of some pro-Khalistan activists and the subsequent negative effect on wider Sikh communities should not be tolerated.' Article content Yet Canada's political class choose to disregard those warnings. Politicians of all stripes continue to commit the cardinal sin of ignoring India's concerns and legitimizing Khalistanis by conflating them with the broader Sikh community. They repeatedly indulge them, hoping to boost their electoral fortunes, given the substantial sway the Sikh vote holds in many ridings throughout the country. Article content Article content For decades, Canadian Khalistanis have been an enduring national security and diplomatic liability to New Delhi, which accuses them of engaging in organized crime and acts of terrorism, both in India and abroad, under the guise of a religious political movement. Article content During a public hearing of the foreign interference inquiry last year, CSIS members testified that Khalistani elements in Canada — with covert backing from Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — were attempting to undermine Indian interests in the country, confirming a longstanding allegation by New Delhi.